
FC Zürich were champions of the Swiss Super League last season under head coach André Breitenreiter (now at TSG Hoffenheim) with a commanding 14 point lead over the runners-up. The current campaign has been less successful for the club from Zürich: FCZ are currently next to bottom in the Swiss league with twelve points from 16 games.
The Werkself and FC Zürich have previously met three times. Bayer 04 secured an emphatic 5-0 win in a group match in the UEFA Cup in 2007/08. In 2018/19, there was one win each in Group A of the UEFA Europa league: FC Zürich won 3-2 at home and the Werkself secured a 1-0 victory in the return match.
Information on ticket sales will be available nearer the time on Bayer 04 club channels.
The winter timetable for the Alonso team is as follows: After the #Bayer04USATour to St. Louis from 13 to 18 November, the Werkself now have time off up to 30 November. Lukas Hradecky and Co. will then return to training in Leverkusen from 1 to 18 December. On 10 December there is a friendly away to Scottish record champions Rangers in Glasgow with the friendly against FC Zürich the last match in 2022 for Bayer 04.
The Werkself players will have time off over the festive period before returning on 3 January 2023 for the final preparations ahead of competitive matches in the New Year.

The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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